♪♪ Sbrocco: A hot dog with Hawaiian flair in the heart of Occidental... Olson: That bun was so good.

Sbrocco: ...mouthwatering Indian fusion pizza in San Francisco... Ian: That aromatic coming up off the pie is good.

Sbrocco: ...and the ultimate in Taiwanese comfort food and Oakland.

Magidi: It's crispy, just double chef's kiss.

Sbrocco: You gotta try this!

Sbrocco: Hi, I'm Leslie Sbrocco.

Welcome to "Check, Please!

You Gotta Try This."

We have three guests, and each one recommends the one dish they can't get enough of and the other two go check them out to see what they think.

Along the way, we take a deep dive into the stories behind the dishes, learning the special ingredients and techniques that make them so delicious.

Joining me virtually at the "Check, Please!"

table today are some very creative guests -- Elizabeth and Ian Bass-Galespie, who both work in the entertainment industry, graphic designer Jewel Syquia Olson, and artist and creator Gaia Wu Magidi.

Welcome, everyone.

Olson: Hello.

Sbrocco: Hello, hello.

First up, Elizabeth and Ian, who say their pick takes best-in-show.

It's a hearty beef hot dog lovingly groomed with colorful fixin's, all pickled in house.

They say it's well worth the trip to the scenic town of Occidental and the Altamont General Store.

♪♪ Jenay: Altamont General Store is a mixed-use market space.

We're in Occidental.

This area used to be like a mecca for hippies in the '60s, coming from all over, leaving San Francisco, starting communes all in this area.

So there is just a rich history in this town with the ranchers, the hippies, the Italians.

[ Laughs ] Andzia: And the Italians.

Jenay: My family has been in this town running restaurants since probably the '30s.

My great-grandfather came from Italy.

He ended up settling here and opening up Negri's Restaurant, which is across the street, my grandmother still runs.

Andzia: We're both Italian, so we just really like to feed people.

Jenay: Yeah, we have anxiety when people don't get enough food.

So when we started dreaming about, like, "What do we need here?"

We wanted a community hub.

Andzia: And being able to get a myriad of coffee options, a couple of great beers, a well-curated wine selection, and that food that really makes you feel good.

♪♪ I'm actually raised in Hawaii.

Making the slaw.

I'm very vegetable and plant passionate.

So we wanted to get vegetables and pickles and ferments into as many things as we can in a somewhat sneaky way.

Jenay: The hot dog, we decided, "Let's take a classic and just make a bangin' hot dog."

♪♪ Andzia: I think the hot dog was probably my idea.

Jenay: [ Laughs ] It was definitely my idea.

Andzia: Maybe it was, like, a collective unconscious moment.

The beef hot dog is spicy ketchup, a yuzu aioli, our house-fermented kraut, our house-pickled pineapple, crispy shallots, and pickled mustard seeds.

Our dear, dear friend Tasha, she's really talented.

She's from Russia, so pickling and fermenting things is just like in her DNA.

We wanted crunch and pickle, and it's like an overloaded experience.

Jenay: How you doing?

Andzia: A big piece of what we were trying to do was be approachable-plus and have things that people would need to get out of their comfort zone to try.

So having something like a hot dog is like a gateway.

It's a gateway hot dog.

[ Laughs ] Jenay: It is.

Into all the flavors.

And when people try to order it and strip it down, I always am like, "Just try it in its whole form before you take away everything because it's really good."

Sbrocco: Alright, Ian and Elizabeth, it's so nice to have a couple.

It's so nice to have two of you with us.

And how did you discover this ultimate hot dog?

Ian: Yeah, have the Altamont opened during pandemic, and a lot of us in West County were looking forward to the Altamont opening because we had been just hearing about it and it's in a historic place.

Sbrocco: It really is bringing history to life in this place.

Elizabeth: It really is, and they have a little farm where the greens and the beautiful flowers that they use and some of the stuff that they pickle for the hot dog, but also for the other dishes.

Their salads are amazing, too.

It's very local.

Sbrocco: Hyper local.

Right.

Well, I'm going to ask Gaia about your experience eating the beef hot dog.

Magidi: It was a really delicious experience.

Upon first seeing, like, the beef hot dog on the menu, I was intrigued because normally I don't usually go for a beef hot dog, but after we got it, it was delicious.

I really enjoyed the brightness of the pickles that were on top of it, and the crunch of the slaw was also really just a welcome texture.

And the hot dog itself was nice and, like, salty, and it had this really deep, like, beefy, like, undertone to it, as well, which really just helped carry through all those, like, pickled aspects.

Sbrocco: It's all about the bun, though, isn't it?

Magidi: Definitely.

Definitely.

The bun itself was super soft and, like, fluffy and it had a nice toast to it, as well, which was the cherry on top for me.

Sbrocco: Fantastic.

And, Jewel, what about you?

Did you enjoy the hot dog?

Olson: So I love hot dogs.

Hot dogs -- Like, honestly, I would say my favorite's a Costco hot dog, and this hot dog was so good.

It was really delicious.

The bun -- that bun was so good, it was hearty, it kept everything in place, and I have to say I didn't really like the pineapple so much just because I'm not really a sweet person.

When it comes to hot dogs, I'm pretty basic, like mustard and onions, but that hot dog is really well made.

The bun was really good.

It was really -- I really enjoyed it.

Sbrocco: Gaia, was this a destination drive for you to get to the Altamont?

Magidi: My mom actually moved recently to Healdsburg, so me and her together, we had just embarked on this really nice long drive through the wine country.

And when we got there, we're like, "Oh, wow, like, this would be the perfect place to go pick up food for, like, a picnic."

So I would I would say it's definitely a destination.

And if you're ready to, like, go backpacking or enjoy the picnic somewhere.

Olson: Right.

So I ended up going to all the different shops, and I have to say Occidental is one of the cutest little towns in California ever.

All of the cashiers and the shop owners, they talked to us.

I have all the cards.

Like, I'm wearing -- I'm wearing one of the shirts that I got from one of -- Sbrocco: He is the new mascot for Occidental.

Olson: I'm going back.

I'm going back.

I bought tarot cards.

Who buys tarot cards?

Like...

It was amazing.

Elizabeth: It's really special, and I should mention that we moved a few years ago from Southern California, so we are in heaven here in this tiny, little town, and everyone is super friendly and there's amazing food, too.

And the space at the Altamont is also meant to be, like, a community space.

Sbrocco: Right.

Like little makers.

Individual artists that can showcase their wares.

And I would be remiss in not asking you about desserts.

Elizabeth: So everything there, from the hot dog or the salads or the bowls, are all just so beautiful.

And then the desserts are always garnished with something amazing, like a flower from their garden, or there's the mochi donuts, which have, like, a matcha green glaze over.

Olson: I mean, after the hot dog, I was kind of full and I wanted to explore the town, but I am 100% going back and I'm going to try every single dessert.

Sbrocco: And, Gaia, would you go back to this spot?

Magidi: I would.

I love hiking and I love the woods, so I would definitely go back and pick up some really tasty treats and really treat myself to, like, a nice day out.

Sbrocco: Alright, if you would like to try the hot dog at the Altamont General Store, it's located on Main Street in Occidental.

Elizabeth and Ian's pro tip -- save room for one of those housemade desserts.

Jewel has been a huge pizza fan her entire life.

One of her all-time favorites offers a rare fusion of Indian and Italian cuisines.

Luckily, she doesn't have to go far to find the best Indian pizza.

It's in San Francisco's Bernal Heights neighborhood at Zante Pizza and Indian Cuisine.

♪♪ Multani: The name of the restaurant is Zante Pizza.

This Italian restaurant was on sale, so I took it over.

I don't know how to make Italian food, but I know how to cook Indian food, so I got rid of the Italian cuisine, but I kept the pizza.

One day I try to make my own pizza, which is spinach curry sauce.

Gave to my crew, and they said, "Oh, this is amazing, this is good.

Why don't we have this in the menu?"

Very good!

The best Indian pizza name just popped in my mind, or I made a flier for the best Indian pizza.

People ask me, "What is the best Indian pizza?"

I say this pizza is nowhere else, only here.

That's why it is the best.

Best Indian pizza from Zante's forever.

♪♪ The dough I make, nobody makes the dough like us.

Since we have the Indian cuisine, I said, "Why don't we just add all this spice -- turmeric, cumin powder, ginger, garlic?"

My special secret is Sprite.

And it moves fast.

♪♪ Spinach curry sauce takes a lot of effort to make this sauce.

We'll put onion with garlic, ginger, broccoli, spinach, all the spices in there, boil for a couple hours.

Cauliflower, eggplant, fresh garlic, and mozzarella cheese as well.

♪♪ I feel my customers come here, feel like a home.

Enjoy my food, just relax.

We'll take care of everybody.

They are my own people.

I love them.

Welcome to Zante Pizza!

Man: Thank you.

Multani: My mom, she's not here anymore, but she used to come.

She enjoyed my food.

She really appreciates it.

She'd say, "You're great."

She's very proud of me.

I thank God.

Sbrocco: Alright, Jewel.

Two things that people might not think of together -- pizza and Indian cuisine.

Talk about that marriage and that best pizza.

Olson: You know, it's funny because I live so close and I've pretty much been driving by this place my whole life, and I love Indian food, so the smell itself has always been amazing.

But honestly, it's not really an odd combination when you think about it, when you think about Indian cuisine and how there's naan and the curries, it really is just putting it all together.

And then I personally like the vegetarian one, which they use a green curry on it.

It's not spicy.

That one's more tangy.

I think they actually use mozzarella just like the general pizza cheese.

And I also like eating it with the red and the green sauce, which also comes in Indian cuisine.

The red sauce is like this plum sweet sauce, and it's thicker.

And then the green sauce is like the kind of cilantro, tangy, acidic-y sauce.

And when you put all those together on top of the pizza, oh, it just elevates it.

Sbrocco: She's rolling her head, so good.

Olson: One time, I ordered the pizza to my house, and they forgot the sauces and I walked down to the restaurant and I'm like, "You guys forgot my sauces."

Sbrocco: Well, Gaia's been shaking, you know, going, "Yeah, yeah."

So tell us, did you love the Indian pizza, yea or nay?

Magidi: I was surprised, like, entirely.

I'm a huge fan now.

I thought the pizza was delicious.

The combination of flavors, the meltiness of the cheese, and the spice of the cauliflower that was just sprinkled all over the top of the pizza.

It was really savory and really just delicious overall.

Sbrocco: And, Ian and Elizabeth, are you Indian pizza fans?

Ian: We are now more than before, and it's funny when we talked to Lori, your producer, setting us up for the show, and she asked us, "Is there anything you don't eat?"

And we said, "No, we're omnivores.

We love everything."

We actually really never go out for Indian food.

And so to go to this place and a very, you know, sweet, unassuming gentleman that we ordered the pizza from was making it right there at the counter.

And one of the really fantastic things was I saw when he took the pizza out of the oven and it was hot and bubbly, he sprinkled it with fresh, chopped green onion and cilantro.

And then when we had it, that aromatic coming up off the pie with the spices was really something special.

Elizabeth: It was like addictive.

I think it was this salty, cheesy, you know, a lot of flavors.

And I love that the crust was that beautiful saffron color, which was actually turmeric in the crust.

And so we kind of found ourselves not being able to stop eating it.

Surprisingly.

Sbrocco: I see Jewel laughing because "addictive" would be the word.

Olson: You know, it just doesn't survive in my household.

Sbrocco: Is there anything else you order when you go there?

Olson: I know you can sit down and actually order traditional Indian cuisine, but I've only ever ordered the pizza.

Sbrocco: So, Gaia, this something you would go back for?

Magidi: Absolutely.

It's in the outer part of the Mission and it's super accessible.

The man who makes the pizza, he is so welcoming and I just had a great time dining there.

I really enjoyed it.

Sbrocco: Alright.

And Elizabeth and Ian?

Elizabeth: If we find ourselves craving Indian pizza again, we might.

[ Laughs ] Ian: But it's also awesome to know that there's a place like this to recommend to vegetarian friends that love Indian food that want a different experience.

Sbrocco: Alright, if you would like to try the Indian pizza at Zante's Pizza and Indian Cuisine, it's located on Mission at Portland in San Francisco, and Jewel's pro tip -- top off the pizza, of course, with both the green and red sauces that come on the side.

Gaia's pick is a tasty Taiwanese dish that fills them with nostalgic childhood memories.

Whenever they're craving the ultimate in comfort food, they ordered the fried pork chop bento at Oakland's Taiwan Bento.

♪♪ Tang: So in Taiwan, eating is a big thing.

So when we ask, "How are you?"

in Taiwanese, it's actually, "Have you eaten?"

My whole goal is to bring some Taiwanese flavor to my new home to America.

On the menu, the pork chop, braised pork, beef noodle soup, popcorn chicken, pork belly bao, they're, like, all traditional Taiwanese type of street foods, but some, I also -- I do the little twist.

Wang: Taiwan Bento couldn't be where it is today without both of us bringing our unique backgrounds together.

I thought I was pretty Asian before meeting Stacy.

You know, I speak Mandarin pretty well, but through this, I realized, "Wow, I'm American, you know, like, the things I like to eat."

Tang: In America, they like crispy.

Wang: We like different textures.

Tang: Yeah.

Wang: On the Eastern palate, they're more used to that doughy texture that's kind of -- it's thicker and kind of chewy.

But the Western palate is, we want it more crispy and thin.

So a bento box is a common way of eating in East Asia.

It really just refers to the discrete portioning of the food.

Tang: Fried pork chop bento is one of our most popular bento boxes, so you need to, like, pound the meat to tenderize it.

We marinate and then we toss it with a sweet potato flour.

And then it's, like, crispy and then juicy.

♪♪ What makes Taiwanese flavor is the Five Spice.

After we fry it, we also toss it with the powder.

So yeah, that's a best part of the bento.

And then, the tea egg, we cook with the oolong tea, black tea, some spices, and then we also marinate overnight.

And the pickled vegetables also has some acidity, so that is great, great balance.

Each person has their way to enjoy bento.

For example, for me, I like to pace out to have a little bit of everything throughout.

But, like, I have friends because they want to save the best part for the last, so they will eat, like, everything else and then eat the pork chop the last.

Wang: We've come to see that many Asian Americans are very nostalgic for this authentic flavor.

Tang: I've seen, like, some of the Taiwanese kids, they come here and found their home, found a taste of their mom.

Yeah.

So that's a very beautiful and rewarding moment for me.

Sbrocco: Gaia, does eating this dish bring back childhood memories?

Magidi: Oh, beautiful ones.

It really takes me back to a place where I used to go to Chinese school on the weekends with my mom and my sisters, and we would always, always go get bentos from a place in Fremont, so when I got the opportunity to try the fried pork chop bento from Taiwan Bento, I took a bite and I had like, a "Ratatouille" moment where, like, the memories just came flooding back.

It tasted just how I wanted it to, and it tasted just how I remembered.

And Taiwan Bento's fried pork chop is crispy, it's salty, has this, like, umami depth to it, and it comes with a side of rice, which is perfectly steamed, and that's topped off with a stewed minced pork, which in Taiwanese is called [Speaks Taiwanese] And it also comes with half of a tea egg, which is also super traditional, and because it's been simmered in soy sauce, as well as has a nice tea infusion as well, it really is just aromatic.

And pro tip for Taiwanese eaters out there -- mixing up that egg with the rice and [Speaks Taiwanese] creates this just aromatic and just meaty and just delicious, like, flavor.

Sbrocco: Elizabeth and Ian, tell me about tasting this fried pork chop.

Ian: The pork was delicious.

You know, the mouthfeel was pretty fun.

You know, to have all those different combinations and to eat in combination with some of the sauces that they offer.

Although they recommended with this dish in particular, they have a number of sauces that you can use for their dishes, and the really sweet woman at the counter said this one you should have just as-is, no sauce.

Elizabeth: It reminded me of kind of, like, the old days.

If you would find someplace open at 2:00 a.m. after-party food, it would be kind of amazing.

[ Laughs ] Olson: It's funny that everyone's kind of mentioning the nostalgia of this dish because I agree.

Like, I grew up in the Clement District of San Francisco, where there's a lot of different Asian cuisines, and it reminded me of the quickly little chicken popper things I used to eat because it's really crispy on the outside and soft and tender and really flavorful, and they fry and cook their food really well.

Yeah, I really, really enjoyed it.

I also got some egg scallion pancake thing, and those are really fried and hot, and it was so good.

I really love that place a lot.

Sbrocco: And what about something to drink with that?

Did you have any of the drinks?

Magidi: I did.

I got the brown sugar boba milk tea, and it was just double -- double chef's kiss on top of all of that.

What Taiwanese people call the texture of the boba, it is really good, and it's really authentic.

They say, "Oh, [Speaks Taiwanese]" You know, it's really "Q," and when it's "Q-Q," it's very chewy, and it was just perfectly "Q," you know what I'm saying?

Elizabeth: We also had boba, and it was really amazing.

It had a nice caffeine kick, too, I'll say that.

And the boba was, like, a perfect -- I don't know -- Do you use al dente for boba?

[ Laughs ] It was really good.

Sbrocco: Would you guys go back?

Elizabeth: Definitely.

Ian: Yeah.

Sbrocco: Yeah, you would?

And what about you, Jewel?

Olson: I would definitely go back.

It looks like a very inviting place for lunch, too, you know, doors wide open.

I love the table set-up at the top.

It's really warm and inviting.

I love that place.

Sbrocco: If you would like to try the fried pork chop bento at Taiwan Bento, it's located on 22nd Street near Broadway in Oakland, and Gaia's pro tip -- pair your bento with a brown sugar boba milk tea.

And now time for a detour along the road less traveled.

Producer Cecilia Phillips is on the hunt for more Bay Area bites you just gotta try.

♪♪ Phillips: Step, and then back.

Ibarra: Mitote comes from "Mitoten," which is an ancient Nahuatl word that describes the gathering around the monthly celebrations of the Aztecs down in Mexico City.

So Mitote really means a place to come together, have a good time, share experiences, share cultures, share laughter, enjoy ourselves around food.

And it's in the Roseland neighborhood, which is the biggest Latino neighborhood in Northern California.

♪♪ Phillips: Huarache means sandal in Spanish.

Technically, it's like a mushroom, a fungus that grows in the corn.

Sánchez: Es como el caviar Mexicano.

Phillips: Yes, caviar of Mexico, right?

Mmm!

That is so good.

So tlayuda con hongos.

Mmm.

Mexican street pizza.

Díaz: Alright, so welcome to Maria Machetes.

Maria Machetes is empower woman, empower my mother, empower my daughters, my family.

All the recipes out here is make by my mother.

This is a very traditional Oaxaca street food.

You see this all over in the towns and the street.

Phillips: Cheers.

Díaz: Cheers.

Elotes.

Mmm!

Mata: This is our shrimp cocktail.

Phillips: Oh, my God.

Mata: The way it looks, it describes how we are, describes Charro Negro, you know what I mean?

Like, bright colors, you know, the big shrimp, avocado, jicama, purple onions, everything.

Phillips: Look at this cup.

How does somebody eat this?

Mata: You crush it.

Get in it.

Phillips: Okay.

[ Laughs ] Mata: Get in it.

Phillips: Oh, my gosh!

Look at this.

Mmm.

Díaz: So we have a little surprise over here is what we call little bites.

A little Oaxaca bites.

I call it Oaxaca caviar, so it's chapulines.

Phillips: So it's tlayuda with chapulines.

Díaz: Yes.

Phillips: Grasshoppers.

Díaz: Yes.

Phillips: Alright.

Those are the legs.

It's crunchy.

Díaz: Mm-hmm.

Phillips: I've never had this before.

You gotta try it.

♪♪ Mole, where is it from?

Where does it originate?

I think everyone has their own opinion.

What are your thoughts?

Ibarra: Well, I think every region wants to claim it as their own, being such an important dish, so traditional, and basically it's known all over the world.

Phillips: Who has the best mole?

Woman: Oaxaca.

Phillips: You did not hesitate.

Woman: No.

Man: My abuela, she's from Oaxaca, and she makes really good mole.

Really good mole.

Man #2: I'm from Michoacán, myself, and my mother makes really delicious mole.

Man #3: For me, it's Oaxaca.

Man #4: I have to say my mom's is the best.

Man #5: I think the best mole is right here in Santa Rosa.

Phillips: What makes your mole so special?

Pacheco: Mine is like -- It's like a Christmas morning.

This one right here, you'll be able to taste the chocolate, the cinnamon.

Right when you are ready to open those Christmas gifts, that's the essence of the smell and the taste that you're gonna have on this one.

Phillips: Just took me to Christmas morning, and it's the middle of the summer.

I think a lot of people, wherever they feel like their family is, is where mole is from, right?

[ Laughter ] Mata: You gotta try this.

Sbrocco: That's our show.

Time for a big thank you to my fabulous guests.

I'm Leslie Sbrocco, and I'll see you next time on "Check, Please!

You Gotta Try This."

Cheers, everyone.

Ian: Thank you, Leslie.

Sbrocco: Cheers.

Which of these dishes would you try?

Follow us on Instagram or like us on Facebook and let us know what you think.

Phillips: Oh, my gosh!

Are you kidding me?

Yes.

This looks so good.

♪♪ Woman: This one is the quesa-taco or the quesadilla taco, and this one is the mole one.

Phillips: Ready to dig in.

Man: Many flavors that really makes your mouth, like, just -- it activates everything.

Phillips: Which one do you have?

Man #2: This is a chicken with green sauce, and it knocks your lips off.

[ Laughter ] Phillips: Spicy.